This graphic, which I found on an atheist internet community, instantly grabbed my attention because the inference is crystal clear: if you don’t use your brain, then you’ll become a person of faith.
Indeed, I’ve discovered many atheist people enjoy pointing to studies that suggest the smarter you are, the less belief you have in God.
One such study, reported at charismanews.com, examined the findings of other studies going back to the 1920s and reported that a majority of those studies concluded more intelligent people were less likely to have religious beliefs.
But hold on here. The dude who examined all those studies, psychologist Miron Zuckerman, noted that his report does not mean only dumb people believe in God. Rather, he said, it shows only that more intelligent people may have less need for religion.
“It is truly the wrong message to take from here that if I believe in God I must be stupid,” he said in the charismanews.com article. “I would not want to bet any money on that because I would have a very good chance of losing a lot of money.”
Interesting, isn’t it? I’m a person of faith — I follow Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the son of God — but I certainly have no need for “religion”. (Here’s why: http://wp.me/p2wzRb-cP.)
Besides all that I’ve written so far, here’s what else inspired this essay: They told me to use the brain God gave me. I did. Now I’m a follower of Jesus. Ironic, isn’t it?
Now, before anyone brings up arguments about age or indoctrination, let me tell you that everyone in my biological family abandoned even the social pretense of following Jesus 40 years ago. I was with them until the age of — get this — 42.
I still have my brain. In fact, I do what many, many non-”religious” people don’t do:
- I always vote
- I read fiction and non-fiction books
- I listen to radio documentaries
- I read newspapers
- I reduce/reuse/recycle (in that order; recycling is the worst of the three ‘Rs’)
- I engage in political discussions.
So, does any of this help you to rethink your notions about following Jesus? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Frank's Cottage 